Apparatus and method for connecting to a local area communication in a portable terminal

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method for connecting to a local area communication resource in a portable terminal are provided. The method includes receiving access point connection-related information and automatic connection support-related information from a plurality of access points, identifying at least one access point capable of supporting automatic connection among the plurality of access points based on the automatic connection support-related information, receiving connection information from an information server connected to the at least one access point, selecting one access point from the at least one access points based on Base Station Subsystem (BSS) link information included in the access point connection-related information with respect to the at least one access point, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information, and link information of an external network included in the connection information, and performing a local area communication with the selected access point.

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Koreanpatent application filed on Nov. 16, 2012 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office and assigned Serial No. 10-2012-0130574, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable terminal. More particularly,although not exclusively, the present invention relates to an apparatusand a method for connecting to a local area communication resource in aportable terminal

2. Description of the Related Art

A portable terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet Personal Computer(PC) provides various useful functions for a user by various softwareapplications. Accordingly, the portable terminal has evolved into adevice in which various types of information are used in addition to asound communication function such as a telephone, by providing variousfunctions. In particular, the portable terminal provides a local areacommunication function for providing a data service.

In order to provide the local area communication function, the portableterminal searches for access points in the vicinity, and connects to anyone of the searched access points and the local area communicationresource. At this point, the portable terminal is connected to an accesspoint provided by a first service provider having a priority designatedin advance among a plurality of access points provided by differentservice providers. That is, the first service provider is selected fromthe plurality of different service providers according to apre-designated priority.

However, even when an access point provided by a second service providernot having a priority provides a better communication environment thanthe access point of the first service provider, since the portableterminal may not be connected to an access point of the second serviceprovider, a user of the portable terminal may not have an opportunity toreceive the local area communication resource in the bettercommunication environment. Therefore, a demand for a way to address theproblem has been required.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentinvention is to provide a method for connecting to a local areacommunication resource via an access point with an excellentcommunication environment among a plurality of access points in aportable terminal

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and amethod for selecting an access point having an excellent communicationenvironment among a plurality of access points based on link informationof an external network in a portable terminal, and connecting to a localarea communication resource by the selected access point.

It is an aim of certain embodiments of the invention to solve, mitigateor obviate, at least partly, at least one of the problems and/ordisadvantages associated with the prior art. Certain embodiments aim toprovide at least one of the advantages described below

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus(e.g. a portable terminal) for connecting to a local area communicationresource is provided. The apparatus includes a communication unit (e.g.information (a local area communication unit), and a controller whichreceives first information (e.g access point connection-relatedinformation and automatic connection support-related information) fromthe at least one access points, identifies at least one access pointcapable of performing automatic connection support among the pluralityof access points based on the first information (e.g based on theautomatic connection support-related information), receives secondinformation (e.g connection information) from an information serverconnected to the at least one access point, selects one access pointfrom the plurality of access points based on at least one, andoptionally all, of the first information (e.g Base Station Subsystem(BSS) link information included in the access point connection-relatedinformation with respect to the at least one access point), receivedsignal strength indication, and the second information (e.g linkinformation of an external network included in the connectioninformation), and performs communication (e.g. a local areacommunication) with the selected access point.

Another aspect of the invention provides a portable terminal comprising:a communication unit (e.g. a local area communication unit); and acontroller adapted to receive access point connection-relatedinformation and automatic connection support-related information from aplurality of access points (e.g. via the communication unit), identifyat least one access point capable of performing automatic connectionsupport among the plurality of access points based on the automaticconnection support-related information, receive connection informationfrom an information server connected to the at least one access point(e.g. via the communication unit), select one access point from theplurality of access points based on at least one of Base StationSubsystem (BSS) link information included in the access pointconnection-related information with respect to the at least one accesspoint, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information, and linkinformation of an external network included in the connectioninformation, and perform communication (e.g. a local area communication)with the selected access point (e.g. via the communication unit).

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forconnecting to a local area communication resource in a portable terminalis provided. The method may also be described as a method of connectinga portable terminal to a communication resource (e.g. to a local areacommunication resource, such as an access point) The method includesreceiving first information (e.g. access point connection-relatedinformation and automatic connection support-related information) from aplurality of access points, identifying at least one access pointcapable of supporting automatic connection among the plurality of accesspoints based on the first information (e.g based on the automaticconnection support-related information), receiving second information(e.g connection information) from an information server connected to theat least one access point, selecting one access point from the pluralityof access points based on at least one, and optionally on all, of thefirst information (e.g. BSS link information included in the accesspoint connection-related information with respect to the at least oneaccess point), received signal strength indication, and secondinformation (e.g link information of an external network included in theconnection information), and performing communication (e.g a local areacommunication) with the selected access point.

Another aspect provides a portable terminal comprising apparatus inaccordance with any of the above-mentioned aspects, or adapted toimplement a method in accordance with any of the above-mentionedaspects.

Another aspect of the invention provides a computer program comprisinginstructions arranged, when executed, to implement a method and/orapparatus in accordance with any one of the above-described aspects. Afurther aspect provides machine-readable storage storing such a program.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainexemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a local areacommunication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a portable terminal according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of connecting toa local area communication resource in a local area communication systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of connecting to a localarea communication resource in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting an accesspoint by a portable terminal according to a first exemplary embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting an accesspoint by a portable terminal according to a second exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplaryembodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the embodiments described hereincan be made without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of theinvention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention is provided for illustration purpose only and not forthe purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claimsand their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

The portable terminal according to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention is an electronic device that is portable and easy tocarry, and may be a video phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, anInternational Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) terminal, aWideband-Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) terminal, a UniversalMobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS) terminal, a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a DigitalMultimedia Broadcasting (DMB) terminal, an E-Book terminal, a PortableComputer (PC)(for example, a notebook or tablet PC), a digital camera,or the like.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a local areacommunication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a local area communication system includes aportable terminal 101, first, third, and fifth Access Points (AP) 103,105, and 107, a first access router 109, a first Authentication,Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server 111,a first informationserver 113, a first external network 115, second, fourth, and sixthaccess points 117, 119, and 121, a second access router 123, a secondAAA server 125, a second information server 127, and a second externalnetwork 129.

Here, a first service provider 1001 provides the first, third, and fifthaccess points 103, 105, and 107, the first access router 109, the firstAAA server 111, the first information server 113, and the first externalnetwork 115, and a second service provider 1002 provides the second,fourth, and sixth access points 117, 119, and 121, the second accessrouter 123, the second AAA server 125, the second information server127, and the second external network 129. The first service provider1001 and the second service provider 1002 may be different from eachother. For example, the first service provider 1001 may be SK Telecom,and the second service provider 1002 may be Korea Telecom Freetel (KTF).

With reference to each component, the first access router 109 isconnected to the first, third, and fifth access points 103, 105, and107, the first information server 113, the first AAA server 111, and thefirst external network 115. The first external network 115 is anexternal network connected to a local area network generated by thefirst, third, and fifth access points 103, 105, and 107.

The first information server 113 stores information required toautomatically connect to a local area communication resource among theportable terminal 101 and any one of the first, third, and fifth accesspoints 103, 105, and 107. Especially, the first information server 113stores connection information with respect to the first, third, andfifth access points 103, 105, and 107, and transmits the connectioninformation to the portable terminal 101 according to a request of theportable terminal 101.

Here, the connection information refers to information for automaticallyconnecting the portable terminal 101 and an access point to each other,and includes link information of an external network connected to acorresponding access point, information of a provider providing a localarea network, and connection information including a connection type forconnecting to the local area network. The link information of theexternal network includes a downlink speed, a downlink load rate, anuplink speed, and an uplink load rate of the external network.

The first, third, and fifth access points 103, 105, and 107 provide thelocal area communication resource for the portable terminal 101. Forexample, the local area communication resource may be WiFi. Each of thefirst, third, and fifth access points 103, 105, and 107 transmits accesspoint-related information and automatic connection support-relatedinformation to the portable terminal 101. Here, the access point-relatedinformation includes information such as Base Station Subsystem (BSS)link information, and the BSS link information includes a network loadof the BSS, a channel load rate, or a number of portable terminalsconnected to a corresponding access point. The automatic connectionsupport-related information refers to information relating to atechnology in which the corresponding access point can be automaticallyconnected to the local network without input by a user of the portableterminal 101. For example, if the local area communication resource isWiFi, the automatic connection support technology may be referred to asHotspot 2.0.

If a connection information request message is received from theportable terminal 101, each of the first, third, and fifth access points103, 105, and 107 transmits the connection information request messageto the first information server 113. Each of the first, third, and fifthaccess points 103, 105, and 107 receives a connection informationmessage in response to the connection information request messages, andtransmits the received connection information messages to the portableterminal 101. Here, the connection information request message is amessage including a command requesting connection information, and theconnection information message is a message including the connectioninformation.

The second access router 123 is connected to the second, fourth, andsixth access points 117, 119, and 121, the second information server127, the second AAA server 125, and the second external network 129. Inaddition, the second external network 129 is an external networkconnected to a local area network generated by the second, fourth, andsixth access points 117, 119, and 121.

The second information server 127 stores information required toautomatically connect to a local area communication resource among theportable terminal 101 and any of the second, fourth, and sixth accesspoints 117, 119, and 121. Especially, the second information server 127stores connection information with respect to the second, fourth, andsixth access points 117, 119, and 121, and transmits the connectioninformation to the portable terminal 101 according to the request of theportable terminal 101.

The second, fourth, and sixth access points 117, 119, and 121 providethe local area communication resource for the portable terminal 101.Each of the second, fourth, and sixth access points 117, 119, and 121transmits access point-related information and automatic connectionsupport-related information to the portable terminal 101. Each of thesecond, fourth, and sixth access points 117, 119, and 121 receives aconnection information request message from the portable terminal 101,and then transmits the connection information request message to thesecond information server 127. Each of the second, fourth, and sixthaccess points 117, 119, and 121 receives a connection informationmessage in response to the connection information request message, andtransmits the received connection information message to the portableterminal 101.

The portable terminal 101 is connected to any one of the first to sixthaccess points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 to provide the local areacommunication resource for a user.

If it is requested, by a user, to perform a local area communication,the portable terminal 101 performs access point scanning to search foraccess points in the vicinity of the portable terminal 101. In addition,the portable terminal 101 receives the access point-related informationand the automatic connection support-related information from the firstto sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 by performingthe access point scanning. When the portable terminal 101 receives asignal including the access point-related information and the automaticconnection support-related information from each of the first to sixthaccess points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121, the portable terminal101 generates Received Signal Strength Indications (RSSI) with respectto the first to sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 bymeasuring the strength of the received signal.

In addition, the portable terminal 101 identifies at least one accesspoint providing the automatic connection support technology among thefirst to sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 by usingthe automatic connection support-related information received from thefirst to sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121. Theportable terminal 101 performs at least one identified access point andnetwork discovery. Here, the network discovery refers to an operationfor obtaining the connection information required for automaticallyconnecting the portable terminal 101 and an access point.

The portable terminal 101 receives the connection information from atleast one identified access point by performing the network discovery.

The portable terminal 101 selects any one of the at least one identifiedaccess points, by using the BSS link information corresponding to the atleast access point, the received signal strength indications and thelink information of the external network, and connects to the selectedaccess point and connects to the selected access point and the localarea communication resource by using the BSS link informationcorresponding to the selected access point and the link information ofthe received signal strength indications and the external network.

Meanwhile, if the local area communication system of an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention conforms to the 802.11u standard,the automatic connection support-related information may be a Hotspot2.0 indication element as defined in the 802.11u/D13.0 standard, and thefirst and second information servers 113 and 127 may be first and secondAccess Network Query Protocol (ANQP) servers. The connection informationmay be a Hotspot 2.0 ANQP element.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a portable terminal according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the portable terminal 200 includes a controller201, a display unit 203, a memory unit 205, an input unit 207, a localarea communication unit 209, a Radio Frequency (RF) unit 211, a firstdata processing unit 213, and an audio processing unit 215.

With reference to each component, the RF unit 211 performs a wirelesscommunication function of the portable terminal 101. In more detail, theRF unit 211 includes a wireless transmitter that performs up-conversionand amplification with respect to the frequency of a transmitted signaland a wireless receiver that performs low-noise amplification anddown-conversion of a received signal. The data processing unit 213includes a transmitter that encodes and modulates the transmitted signaland a receiver that decodes and demodulates the received signal. Here,the data processing unit 213 includes a modulator-demodulator (modem)and a coder-decoder (codec). The codec may include a data codecprocessing packet data and an audio codec processing an audio signalsuch as a sound.

The audio processing unit 215 performs a function of reproducing thereceived audio signal output from the data processing unit 213 ortransmitting the transmitted audio signal generated from a microphone tothe data processing unit 213. In addition, the input unit 207 includeskeys for inputting figure and character information and function keysfor setting various functions, and the display unit 203 displays videosignals on a screen, and displays data requested to be output from thecontroller 201.

If the display unit 203 is implemented by a touch display screen typesuch as a capacitive or resistive type, the input unit 207 may includeminimum predetermined ‘hard’ keys, and the display unit 203 may at leastpartially substitute a ‘soft’ key input function of the input unit 207.

The memory unit 205 includes a program memory and a data memory. Here,the program memory stores booting code and an Operating System (OS) forcontrolling a general operation of the portable terminal 101, and thedata memory stores various data generated during an operation of theportable terminal

The local area communication unit 209 connects any one of the first tosixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 and the local areacommunication resource according to the control of the controller 201.For example, the local area communication resource may be WiFi.

The controller 201 performs a function of controlling the overalloperation of the portable terminal 101. The controller 201 is connectedto any one of the first to sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119,and 121 to provide the local area communication resource for a user.

In more detail, if it is requested to perform the local areacommunication by the user, the controller 201 performs access pointscanning for searching access points positioned around the portableterminal 101. If the first to sixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117,119, and 121 are in the vicinity of the portable terminal 101, thecontroller 201 receives access point-related information and automaticconnection support-related information from each of the first to sixthaccess points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 by performing accesspoint scanning. When the controller 201 receives a signal includingaccess point-related information and automatic connectionsupport-related information from each of the first to sixth accesspoints 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121, the controller 201 generatesreceived signal strength indications with respect to the first to sixthaccess points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 by measuring the strengthof the received signals.

Here, the access point-related information includes BSS linkinformation, and the BSS link information includes a network load and achannel load rate of a BSS and the number of portable terminalsconnected to the corresponding access point. In addition, the automaticconnection support-related information refers to the technology forautomatically connecting the access point to the local area networkwithout input of a user of the portable terminal 101. For example, ifthe local area communication resource is WiFi, the automatic connectionsupport technology may be referred to as Hotspot 2.0.

In addition, the controller 201 identifies at least one access pointproviding an automatic connection support technology from the first tosixth access points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121 by using automaticconnection support-related information received from the first to sixthaccess points 103, 105, 107, 117, 119, and 121. The controller 201performs network discovery with at least one identified access point.Here, the network discovery refers to an operation for obtainingconnection information required for automatically connecting theportable terminal 101 and an access point.

The controller 201 receives connection information from at least oneidentified access point by performing the network discovery. Here, theconnection information refers to information for automaticallyconnecting the portable terminal 101 and an access point, and includeslink information of an external network connected to the correspondingaccess point, provider information providing a local area network, andconnection information including a connection type for connecting thelocal area network. The link information of the external networkincludes a downlink speed, a downlink load rate, an uplink speed, and anuplink load rate of the external network.

In addition, the controller 201 selects any one of at least one accesspoints by using BSS link information corresponding to the at least oneaccess point, the received signal strength indication, and linkinformation of the external network, and connects the selected accesspoint and the local area communication resource.

At this point, the controller 201 may select one access point among atleast one access points by using two methods as follows.

A first method is to select an access point by using a download speed ofan external network, a channel load rate of a BSS, and received signalstrength indication.

In more detail, the controller 201 searches a download speed of at leastone external network corresponding to at least one access point from thereceived link information of the external network. In addition, thecontroller 201 compares the searched download speed of the at least oneexternal network with a predetermined standard download speed. Based onthe comparison result, the controller 201 identifies at least one accesspoint corresponding to a download speed of an external network higherthan the predetermined standard download speed among the at least oneaccess points.

In addition, the controller 201 searches at least one channel load ratecorresponding to at least one access point identified from the receivedBSSlink information. In addition, the controller 201 compares the atleast one searched channel load rate with a predetermined standardchannel load rate. Based on the comparison result, the controller 201determines at least one access point corresponding to a channel loadrate lower than the predetermined standard channel load rate among theat least one identified access points.

The controller 201 searches at least one RSSI value corresponding to theat least determined access point, and identifies a maximum RSSI value ofthe searched RSSI value. The controller 201 selects one access pointcorresponding to the maximum RSSI value among the at least onedetermined access point. The controller 201 connects to the selectedaccess point and the local area communication resource.

A second method is to select an access point in consideration of atransmission speed.

In more detail, the controller 201 searches at least one channel loadrate corresponding to at least one access point from BSS linkinformation, and searches at least one RSSI value corresponding to theat least one access point among the determined RSSI values.

The controller 201 estimates at least one transmission speedcorresponding to the at least one access point based on the at least onesearched channel load rate and at least one RSSI value.

In more detail, the memory unit 205 stores a table with digitizedtransmission speeds corresponding to the RSSI values in advance, and thecontroller 201 searches at least one transmission speed corresponding tothe at least one searched RSSI value using the table. The controller 201estimates at least one transmission speed corresponding to the at leastone access point by using the at least one searched transmission speedand at least one channel load rate. For example, if the transmissionspeed corresponding to the RSSI value of the first access point is 30Megabits per second (Mbps), and the channel load rate of the firstaccess point is 50%, the controller 201 may estimate the transmissionspeed (15 Mbps) with respect to the first access point by multiplyingthe transmission speed corresponding to the RSSI value and the channelload rate corresponding to the RSSI value.

The controller 201 searches at least one transmission speedcorresponding to at least one access point from received linkinformation of the external network. The controller 201 estimates atleast one final transmission speed based on the at least one estimatedtransmission speed and the at least one searched transmission speed ofthe external network. For example, if the estimated transmission speedof the first access point 103 is 10 Mbps and the transmission speed ofthe external network connected to the first access point 103 is 100Mbps, the controller 201 may determine the minimum transmission speed asthe final transmission speed (10 Mbps) of the first access point 103among the estimated transmission speed and the transmission speed of theexternal network. Here, the transmission speed of the external networkmay be a downlink speed or an uplink speed of the external network.

The controller 201 identifies a maximum final transmission speed with amaximum value among at least one estimated final transmission speed, andselects one access point corresponding to the maximum final transmissionspeed among at least one access point. The controller 201 connects theselected access point and the local area communication resource.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of connecting toa local area communication resource in a local area communication systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in step 301, if it is requested by a user toperform the local area communication, the portable terminal 101 performsaccess point scanning for searching for access points in the vicinity ofthe portable terminal 101, and then the process proceeds to step 303.

The first access point 103 transmits a first beacon message which theportable terminal receives in step 303, and the second access point 105transmits a second beacon message which the portable terminal receivesin step 305, and then the process proceeds to step 307. Here, the firstbeacon message includes access point-related information and automaticconnection support-related information. The access point-relatedinformation includes BSS link information, and the BSS link informationincludes information such as the network load of the BSS, the channelload rate, and the number of portable terminals connected to thecorresponding access points. The automatic connection support-relatedinformation refers to information relating to the technology forautomatically connecting the corresponding access point to the localarea network without the input by a user of the portable terminal 101.For example, if the local area communication resource is WiFi, theautomatic connection support technology may be referred to as Hotspot2.0.

In step 307, the portable terminal 101 receives first and second beaconmessages, and identifies at least one access point capable of performingthe network discovery among the first and second access points based onthe received first and second beacon messages, and then the processproceeds to step 309. Here, the network discovery refers to an operationfor obtaining connection information required for automaticallyconnecting the portable terminal 101 and an access point. The first andsecond beacon messages may be received in any order.

In more detail, when first and second beacon messages are received fromfirst and second access points 103 and 117, the portable terminal 101generates RSSI values with respect to the first and second access points103 and 117 by measuring the strength of the signals of the first andsecond beacon messages. The portable terminal 101 analyzes the first andsecond beacon messages, and determines whether the first and secondaccess points 103 and 117 can perform the network discovery or not basedon the analysis result.

For example, the portable terminal 101 identifies whether the firstbeacon message includes automatic connection support-related informationby analyzing the first beacon message. As a result of theidentification, if the first beacon message includes the automaticconnection support-related information, the portable terminal 101determines that the first access point 103 may perform the networkdiscovery since the first access point 103 provides automatic connectionsupport technology. Otherwise, if first beacon message does not includethe automatic connection support-related information, the portableterminal 101 determines that the first access point 103 does not performthe network discovery since the first access point 103 does not providethe automatic connection support technology. In the same manner, theportable terminal 101 may identify whether the second access point 105can perform the network discovery.

Meanwhile, for the sake of the simple description of an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the first andsecond access points 103 and 117 both can perform the network discovery.

The portable terminal 101 performs the network discovery with the firstand second access points 103 and 117 capable of performing the networkdiscovery in step 309, the portable terminal 101 transmits connectioninformation request messages through the first and second access points103 and 117 to the first and second information servers 113 and 127 insteps 311 and 313, and then the process proceeds to step 315.

The first information server 113 transmits, and the portable terminalreceives, the first connection information messages through the firstaccess point 103 in response to the connection information requestmessages in step 315, the second information server 127 transmits, andthe portable terminal receives, second connection information messagesthrough the second access point 105 in response to the connectioninformation request message in step 317, and then the process proceedsto step 319. The first and second connection information messages may bereceived in any order.

In step 319, the portable terminal 101 searches the RSSI value and theBSS link information corresponding to the at least one access pointcapable of performing the network discovery from the first and secondbeacon messages, and then the process proceeds to step 321.

Here, each of the first and second connection information messagesincludes connection information of the corresponding access points.Connection information refers to information for automaticallyconnecting the portable terminal 101 and an access point, and includeslink information of the external network connected to the correspondingaccess point, provider information providing the local area network, andconnection information including the connection type for connecting tothe local area network. The link information of the external networkincludes the downlink speed, the downlink load rate, the uplink speed,and the uplink load rate of the external network.

In step 321, the portable terminal 101 selects any one of the first andsecond access points 103 and 117 based on the BSS link information, theRSSI value, and the first and second connection information, and thenthe process proceeds to step 323. In step 323, the portable terminal 101connects the selected access point and the local area communicationresource. At this point, the portable terminal 101 connects theautomatically selected access point and the local area communicationresource by using the connection information corresponding to theselected access point.

Meanwhile, in steps 301 to 303 of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, it is described that the portable terminal 101 receives theaccess point-related information and the automatic connectionsupport-related information by the beacon messages. However, the accesspoint-related information and the automatic connection support-relatedinformation can be received through other messages. For example, theportable terminal 101 may transmit probe request messages to neighboringaccess points, and receive probe response messages including accesspoint-related information and the automatic connection support-relatedinformation in response thereto.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of connecting to a localarea communication resource in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in step 401, when it is requested by a user toperform a local area communication, the controller 201 performs accesspoint scanning for searching for access points in the vicinity of theportable terminal 101, and the process proceeds to step 403. At thispoint, it is assumed that the access points in the vicinity of theportable terminal 101 are the first and second access points 103 and117.

In addition, in step 403, the controller 201 identifies whether at leastone beacon message is received from the first and second access points103 and 105. As a result of the identification, when a beacon message isreceived, the controller 201 proceeds to step 405, or terminates thelocal area communication connection.

If the process proceeds to step 405, the controller 201 receives thefirst and second beacon messages, the controller 201 identifies at leastone access point capable of performing the network discovery among thefirst and second access points based on the received first and secondbeacon messages, and the process proceeds to step 407.

In more detail, when the first and second beacon messages are receivedfrom the first and second access points 103 and 117, the controller 201generates RSSI values with respect to the first and second access points103 and 117 by measuring the strengths of the signals of the first andsecond beacon messages. In addition, the controller 201 analyzes thefirst and second beacon messages, and determines whether the first andsecond access points 103 and 117 can perform the network discovery basedon the analysis result.

For example, the controller 201 may identify whether the first beaconmessage includes the automatic connection support-related information byanalyzing the first beacon message. As a result of the identification,if the first beacon message includes the automatic connectionsupport-related information, the controller 201 may determine that thefirst access point 103 can perform the network discovery since the firstaccess point 103 provides the automatic connection support technology.However, if the first beacon message does not include the automaticconnection support-related information, the controller 201 may determinethat the first access point 103 does not perform the network discoverysince the first access point 103 does not provide the automaticconnection support technology. In the same manner, the controller 201may identify whether the second access point 105 can perform the networkdiscovery.

Meanwhile, for the sake of the simple description, it is assumed thatthe first and second access points 103 and 117 both can perform thenetwork discovery.

In step 407, the controller 201 performs the network discovery with thefirst and second access points 103 and 117 capable of performing thenetwork discovery, and then the process proceeds to step 409. In step409, the controller 201 transmits connection information requestmessages to the first and second information servers 113 and 127 throughthe first and second access points 103 and 117, and the process proceedsto step 411.

In step 411, the controller 201 identifies whether at least oneconnection information message is received in response to the connectioninformation request message. As a result of the identification, if theat least one connection information message is received, the controller201 proceeds to step 413. If not, the controller 201 repeatedly performsstep 411.

If the controller 201 proceeds to step 413, the controller 201 searchesthe RSSI value and the BSS link information corresponding to at leastone access point capable of performing the network discovery from thefirst and second beacon messages, and then the process proceeds to step415. In addition, in step 415, the controller 201 selects any one of thefirst and second access points 103 and 117 based on the BSS linkinformation, the RSSI value, and the first and second connectioninformation, and then the process proceeds to step 417.

In step 417, the controller 201 connects the selected access point andthe local area communication resource. At this point, the controller 201connects the automatically selected access point and the local areacommunication resource by using the connection information correspondingto the selected access point.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting an accesspoint by a portable terminal according to a first exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in step 501, the controller 201 searches a downloadspeed of at least one external network corresponding to the at least oneaccess point capable of performing the network discovery from thereceived link information of the external network, and then the processproceeds to step 503.

In step 503, the controller 201 compares the searched download speed ofthe at least one external network with the predetermined standarddownload speed. Based on the comparison result, the controller 201identifies at least one access point corresponding to the download speedof the external network higher than the predetermined standard downloadspeed among the at least one access point, and the process proceeds tostep 505. Otherwise, if at least one access point corresponding to thedownload speed of the external network higher than the predeterminedstandard download speed among the at least one access point is notfound, the controller 201 terminates an operation of selecting an accesspoint.

In step 505, the controller 201 searches at least one channel load ratecorresponding to at least one access point identified in step 503 fromthe received BSS information, and the process proceeds to step 507. Instep 507, the controller 201 compares the at least one searched channelload rate with the predetermined standard channel load rate. Based onthe comparison result, the controller 201 identifies at least one accesspoint corresponding to the channel load rate lower than thepredetermined standard channel load rate among the at least oneidentified access point, and then the process proceeds to step 509.Otherwise, if at least one access point corresponding to the channelload rate lower than the predetermined standard channel load rate amongthe at least one identified access point does not exist, the controller201 terminates an operation of selecting the access point.

In step 509, the controller 201 searches at least one RSSI valuecorresponding to the at least one access point identified in step 507.In step 511, the controller 201 identifies the maximum RSSI value amongthe searched RSSI values, and the process proceeds to step 513. In step513, the controller 201 selects at least one access point correspondingto the maximum RSSI value among the at least one access point identifiedin step 507, and then the process proceeds to step 515.

In step 515, the controller 201 connects the selected access point andthe local area communication resource.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of selecting an accesspoint by a portable terminal according to a second exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in step 601, the controller 201 searches at leastone channel load rate corresponding to at least one access point capableof performing the network discovery from the received BSS linkinformation, and at least one RSSI value corresponding to the at leastone access point among the measured RSSI values, and then the processproceeds to step 603.

In step 603, the controller 201 estimates at least one transmissionspeed corresponding to the at least one access point based on the atleast one searched channel load rate and the at least one searched RSSIvalue, and then the process proceeds to step 605.

In more detail, the memory unit 205 stores a table with digitizedtransmission speeds corresponding to the RSSI value in advance, and thecontroller 201 searches at least one transmission speed corresponding tothe at least one searched RSSI value by using the table. The controller201 estimates at least one transmission speed corresponding to the atleast one access point by using the at least one searched transmissionspeed and the at least one searched channel load rate.

For example, if the transmission speed corresponding to the RSSI valueof the first access point is 30 Mbps and the channel load rate of thefirst access point is 50%, the controller 201 may estimate thetransmission speed (15 Mbps) with respect to the first access point bymultiplying the transmission speed corresponding to the RSSI value andthe channel load rate corresponding to the RSSI value.

In step 605, the controller 201 searches the transmission speed of theat least one external network corresponding to the at least one accesspoint from the received link information of the external network, andthen the process proceeds to step 607.

In step 607, the controller 201 estimates at least one finaltransmission speed based on the at least one estimated transmissionspeed and the searched transmission speed of the at least one externalnetwork, and then the process proceeds to step 609. For example, if theestimated transmission speed with respect to the first access point 103is 10 Mbps and the transmission speed of the external network connectedto the first access point 103 is 100 Mbps, the controller 201 maydetermine the minimum transmission speed as a final transmission speed(10 Mbps) of the first access point 103 among the estimated transmissionspeed and the transmission speed of the external network. Here, thetransmission speed of the external network may be a downlink speed or anuplink speed of the external network.

In step 609, the controller 201 identifies the maximum finaltransmission speed among the at least one estimated final transmissionspeed, the controller 201 selects at least one access pointcorresponding to the identified maximum final transmission speed amongthe at least one identified access point, and then the process proceedsto step 611.

In step 611, the controller 201 connects the selected access point andthe local area communication resource.

According to the operations, an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention provides an effect of providing the optimum communicationquality by connecting to a local area communication resource in aportable terminal via an access point with an excellent communicationenvironment among a plurality of access points. An exemplary embodimentof the present invention provides an effect of providing an optimumcommunication quality by selecting an access point with an excellentcommunication environment among a plurality of access points based onthe link information of the external network in the portable terminal,and connecting to the local area communication resource in the portableterminal via the selected access point.

An apparatus and a method for connecting to the local area communicationresource in the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention may be implemented by a computer-readable codeon a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recordingmedium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses on which data thatcan be read by a computer system is stored. An example of the recordingmedium includes ROM, RAM, an optical disc, a magnetic tape, a floppydisc, a hard disk, and a non-volatile memory, and includes the form ofcarrier waves (for example, transmission via the Internet). Thecomputer-readable recording medium may be distributed in the computersystem connected via network, and may store and executecomputer-readable codes in a distributed manner.

Accordingly, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention providesan effect of providing the optimum communication quality by connectingto a local area communication resource in a portable terminal via anaccess point with an excellent communication environment among aplurality of access points.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an effect ofproviding an optimum communication quality by selecting an access pointwith an excellent communication environment among a plurality of accesspoints based on the link information of the external network in theportable terminal, and connecting to the local area communicationresource in the portable terminal via the selected access point.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words“comprise” and “contain” and variations of the words, for example“comprising” and “comprises”, means “including but not limited to”, andis not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives,components, integers or steps.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, thesingular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires.In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specificationis to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity,unless the context requires otherwise.

Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical moieties orgroups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment orexample of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to anyother aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatibletherewith.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for connecting to a local areacommunication resource in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:a controller which receives access point connection-related informationand automatic connection support-related information from a plurality ofaccess points, identifies at least one access point capable ofperforming automatic connection support among the plurality of accesspoints based on the automatic connection support-related information,receives connection information from an information server connected tothe at least one access point, selects one access point from the atleast one access points based on Base Station Subsystem (BSS) linkinformation included in the access point connection-related informationwith respect to the at least one access point, Received Signal StrengthIndication (RSSI) information, and link information of an externalnetwork included in the connection information, and a local areacommunication unit, performs a local area communication with theselected access point.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe BSS link information includes a channel load rate and a number ofportable terminals connected to a corresponding access point.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection informationincludes link information of an external network connected to acorresponding access point, information of a service provider providinga local area network, and connection information including a connectiontype for connecting to the local area connection resource.
 4. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of access pointsare provided by different service providers.
 5. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the controller selects one access point from the atleast one access point based on a channel load rate included in the BSSlink information corresponding to the at least one access point, adownload speed included in the link information of the external network,and the RSSI information.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, whereinthe controller identifies at least one access point with a downloadspeed higher than a predetermined standard download speed among the atleast one access point, determines at least one access point with achannel load rate lower than a predetermined standard channel load rateamong the at least one identified access point, and selects an accesspoint with a maximum RSSI from the at least one determined access point.7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller selectsone access point from the at least one access point based on a channelload rate included in the BSS link information corresponding to the atleast one access point, a transmission speed included in the linkinformation of the external network, and the RSSI information.
 8. Theapparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller determines atransmission speed corresponding to an RSSI corresponding to the atleast one access point, estimates at least one final transmission speedbased on the determined transmission speed and the transmission speed ofthe external network, and selects an access point with a maximum finaltransmission speed from the at least one access point.
 9. A method forconnecting to a local area communication resource in a portableterminal, the method comprising: receiving access pointconnection-related information and automatic connection support-relatedinformation from a plurality of access points; identifying at least oneaccess point capable of supporting automatic connection among theplurality of access points based on the automatic connectionsupport-related information; receiving connection information from aninformation server connected to the at least one access point; selectingone access point from the at least one access points based on BaseStation Subsystem (BSS) link information included in the access pointconnection-related information with respect to the at least one accesspoint, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) information, and linkinformation of an external network included in the connectioninformation; and performing a local area communication with the selectedaccess point.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the BSS linkinformation includes a channel load rate and a number of portableterminals connected to a corresponding access point.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the connection information includes linkinformation of an external network connected to a corresponding accesspoint, information of a service provider providing a local area network,and connection information including a connection type for connecting tothe local area communication resource.
 12. The method according to claim9, wherein the plurality of access points are provided by differentservice providers.
 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein theselecting of the access point comprises selecting one access point fromthe at least one access point based on a channel load rate included inthe BSS link information corresponding to the at least one access point,a download speed included in the link information of the externalnetwork, and the RSSI information.
 14. The method according to claim 13,wherein the selecting of the access point comprises: identifying atleast one access point with a download speed higher than a predeterminedstandard download speed among the at least one access point; determiningat least one access point with a channel load rate lower than apredetermined standard channel load rate among the at least oneidentified access point; and selecting an access point with a maximumRSSI from the at least one determined access point.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the selecting of the access pointcomprises selecting one access point from the at least one access pointbased on a channel load rate included in the BSS link informationcorresponding to the at least one access point, a transmission speedincluded in the link information of the external network, and the RSSIinformation.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the selectingof the access point comprises: determining a transmission speedcorresponding to the RSSI information corresponding to the at least oneaccess point, estimating at least one final transmission speed based onthe determined transmission speed and the transmission speed of theexternal network, and selecting an access point with a maximum finaltransmission speed from the at least one access point.